Attending the Republican National Convention.

My coworker's favorite Beccaism is  'I just like to do epic things once'.  This is apparently a given.  She says that nearly everyone would say they like to be a part of epic things.  So in other words, I'm just one of the masses.  But honestly, I enjoy taking every advantage of every unique opportunity that presents itself at least once, just to say I have.

I was invited this year to attend the Republican National Convention which took place in my hometown of Tampa, Florida.  I've gotten to know and love two of the directors from the convention and about a month beforehand they offered me tickets and credentials.  They even let me pick the most exciting night - the night with Condi Rice (one of my personal hero's and a HUGE NFL football fan) and Paul Ryan (future vice president of the US of A).

Amy, my friend and fellow event department worker is much more involved in the political realm than I am so it was fun to surprise her and tell her I'd gotten us passes to go!  She was thrilled.  With an event the weekend before in Indianapolis, our lives have been a bit of a blur and the convention was here before we had a second to breathe.  

(credentialed up and ready to rock) 

We left Wednesday straight from work to get a jump on the crowds (it started at 7:00).  Ok fine, we had to first make a pit stop at the library because I was on my last day to pick up my holds before they'd reshelf them and say to heck with me.  But anyway, we ran by the library and then headed downtown with the intention of parking in Channelside and walking over to the Tampa Convention Center where the RNC was being held.

It was surprisingly smooth sailing getting there.  I had expected that the RNC would be a neat experience but I have to tell you, I was blown away.  It was by far one of the coolest experiences of my life.  We had a blast and in four hours of speaking I wasn't bored for as single minute.

Our seats were incredible.  I was literally in the front row of the overhang, directly in front of the stage.  I could see everything perfectly and even people watch from above.

I was most excited to see Condoleezza Rice speak and she didn't disappoint.  I thought she was incredible!  I have the utmost respect for her and would love to someday meet her and tell her as much.  I truly wish it was her desire to run for President someday - she would have my vote!

Hearing Paul Ryan speak was equally exciting.  I thought he did an incredible job and continue to believe he will make an excellent VP.

I don't like to get too political on the blog as I know many of my followers don't share my beliefs but I did want to share what was a once in a lifetime experience for me with you here on the blog.  I figure everyone can appreciate that!

I will end by echoing the sentiment of all of Wednesday nights speakers - may God bless America!

Love,
B

I'm Afraid of Being Boring.

Over lunch yesterday I finally put into words one of my biggest fears.  I was being incredibly inarticulate and I finally just blurted, 'I think I'm afraid of being boring.  Of being so boring I'm bored of my own life...does that make sense?'  I realize this wasn't exactly well articulated either but there really is no perfect way to say this.

Have you ever been around someone you felt was waiting for their life to begin?  Like when they're married, have kids, make more money, pay something off, finish school, etc THEN they would start living?  These people terrify me.  I'm afraid of being boring while I wait on some outside circumstance to deliver the life I want.  I want it bad enough to fight for it now.

Am I making any sense?  Anyone?

My friend pointed out that my life is anything but boring.  At a 26 I've already:

- Witnessed the Hawaii Ironman live
- Been to 2 super bowls
- 2 pro bowls (also in Hawaii)
- Traveled to Haiti
- Lived in over 30 houses
- Met well over 100 famous people
- Been to 30-something states
- Been to about a million sporting events from seeing Michael Jordan play Shaq to Reggie Millers last game to the time trials of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
- I've paid off my debt, graduated college, and bought a house
- I've fallen in love twice
- I've swam with manatees, run a 5k, and even been the person selected for a TV makeover (no lie, that happened)
- I've read thousands of books, written hundreds of blog posts, and taken millions of photos

Well, you get the idea.  I've done a few things.  So why the intense and unnecessary fear of boredom?  I think it's my age.  I'm about to turn 27 and I realize that every year since I turned 20 has been better than the year before.  I want that to be true from now til the end of my life. I want every year to keep getting better.  And maybe I'm afraid I can't keep pace with the awesome exploratory life I've been living the past 6 years.

I can.  I've determined that I can.  But it will take some planning and conscious effort.  Your life doesn't happen to you on accident.  If I want to travel the US and a little of the world while excelling at my job and creating meaningful relationships I have to be purposeful.  So in the next few weeks leading up to the big 2-7 I'm making some big plans for the next year.  Don't worry - you're all included in them just by being a reader of this blog.  Stay tuned!  I promise, I'm not ready to grow old and bore us all!

Love,
B

Weekend Recap - Indianapolis.

Well, I'm back in Tampa - at least until Friday.  We had a 'hurricane day' yesterday from work which graciously allowed me to play catch up from being gone this weekend.  So my house is put back together, my laundry is done, and I'm feeling excited about a busy week and another weekend away!

This weekend in Indianapolis was amazing.  It really couldn't have worked out any more perfectly.  We flew in Friday morning to set up for our filming on Saturday and we arrived in time to catch Dad before he departed for Washington DC.

It was so great for our team to get to see him and we all got to wish him luck before his road game.

Friday night after dinner with our crew I met up with Sean at our spot, the Fox and the Hound and got to catch up face to face instead of our usual phone chats, which was great!

I woke up early Saturday morning to have coffee with my sweet friend Jon who was willing to get up early on a Saturday to meet me. I loved catching up with him and hearing what's new in his life in person, again, instead of our usual phone chats.

Friday and Saturday were a good combo of work and a little play...

Saturday was our filming for work and my besties came out to volunteer.

The recording went great but man was it hot in there.  Afterwards Sean, Candy, Josh, and I ate at my favorite Indiana restaurant - Stone Creek Grill.

We came back and lazed around the house watching the Colts game on Tivo before all hitting the sack pretty early.

Sunday morning I got to spend an hour or so with just my Dad and I.  We made coffee and sat and caught up on life. With neither sister home, my Mom out of town, and my best friend and her husband still asleep it was a great time for the two of us to just talk.  It was such a sweet time and I'm so grateful we were able to carve that out of a busy weekend of work on the road for both of us.

Afterwards we were able to grab breakfast with Candy and Josh before Dad had to be back at the office, the Schulze's had to get to their plans, and I packed up for my return to Tampa.  It was such a special morning for me with people I adore and a great ending to an incredible weekend.

I made it back to Tampa before any storms hit - so thank you to each of you who expressed concern for me.  I'm still here and so is my house!  We actually got a hurricane day from work yesterday and so I was able to catch up but we didn't actually get a hurricane, which was even better!  I'm about to head into the office now to start a short week before another weekend on the road.

Love,
B

Wow'd.

If I could sit down over a pot of coffee and share with each of you all the Lord has been teaching me this year, I would.  Each year since I graduated college and moved to Florida (over four years now), I’ve thought ‘next year will be easy compared to this one’ and I have been oh so wrong.  It’s not that I haven’t loved each of these years, I have.  Each in its own way has been the most precious year yet.  And 2012 continues not to disappoint.

As I shared on Wednesday this week has been busy for me in preparation for a weekend of working in Indiana starting Friday, the buzz of work has started when I walk through the door and kept me making notes in a book at home til the wee hours of morning some nights.  As I purpose to be organized and perform my duties with excellence I admit my heads been almost entirely dominated with the work realm this week.  But I committed to my best friend on Monday morning that I my verses for this week would be these:

‘I will bless the Lord at all times; His praises shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together’ – Psalm 34:1-3

It was a tall order, I know.  If you’re like me than busyness and ‘stress’ don’t always cast your most flattering light.  But purposing to remember these (and reading this verse over and over as it’s posted on my computer at work this week) it has continued to stay close to my heart.

I woke up Wednesday morning to a voicemail from my Dad.  I’ve shared before that my Dad, being in football, has a crazy schedule.  Of all the people I’ve ever known, he works longer and harder.  But I cannot remember a time in my twenty-six years of life that I’ve ever heard him complain about it.  A statistic was released a few years back that said the average NFL football coach works 120 hours per week.  That is 3x’s the hours of a 9-5 fulltimer.  So I played his voicemail on my drive to work and I teared up.  He said he’s been going in ‘extra early’ and staying ‘extra late’ this week because of their ‘short week’ from having a night game Sunday.  I’m not positive but for a guy who’s in the office by 6am and there til at least 10pm NORMALLY, I’m assume this week has been pretty brutal schedule wise.

Do you know what the message was about though?  Me.  He said he was sorry that we hadn’t gotten to talk much.  He said he couldn’t wait to see me this weekend (he will fly into Indy in the middle of the night Saturday and will have a little time with me before he goes into the office Sunday).  He said he checked to make sure the car was there for me when I arrived on Friday so I could get where I needed to go.  In the midst of a busy, crazy, stressful week for him – he left me a sweet, encouraging message about ME.

More and more I admire him. 

I am thankful for his example as I learn what it looks like to bless the Lord at all times and to put other people above myself. May I be someone who in the midst of my crazy life never forgets to value what’s going on in the lives of those around me.  May I be the kind of friend, sister, daughter, and leader who calls to check on the people I love even if it has to be before 6am or after midnight.  And may it be said, someday, that I never complain about hardwork.

I look forward with great joy to a cup coffee with my main man  this weekend in my high school home after a sleepover with my favorite people – my best friend, her husband, and my sweet, sweet Dad.

God is good.

Love,

B

A Quick Hello!

Hi darlings and happy hump day.

This week has been a blur of packing and preparation for a video recording in Indianapolis this weekend for work (I talked briefly about that last week).  I've now packed almost 50 boxes and sent them ahead and I'm muscling through meetings, logistics, and design work in preparation for an early Friday morning departure.

I know I've been pretty blog absent as well as neglecting the social media world (shocking for me, I know).  So I wanted to pop in and say a quick hi, I'm alive, I'll be back!  In other news...

My Kate bag came! And my birthday wallet to match arrived last night. I'm smitten with it. I love love love the size, the color, the structure and most of all the great deal I got on it!

I did work all weekend but I managed to hangout with neighbors and eat lobster from the grill as well as get some packing done...

Can you tell that I'm going to Indianapolis by my blue, black, and white wardrobe?

This is what my work life has looked like this week.  Whew.

Life is good but busy.  My posts may be hit or miss the next couple weeks.  But I'm not gone for good, I promise!

Love,
B

Cheers to Next Weekend.

Well I hate to get too far ahead of myself. I should be excited about this weekend.  But this weekend will be blur of...work. I'm working Friday night, day and night Saturday, and a little on Sunday so imagine this weekend will be a bit of a blur. I DID make myself stick with my chore list for the week so my house is clean  going into a week of pre-event chaos and craziness.  But really, as much as I love to life for the present, I can't help but my jittery with excitement about NEXT weekend.

I will be headed out first thing Friday morning to Indianapolis, Indiana.

I will be in full event mode aka looking like this:

(photo by Chris Johnson of Tampa)

I will be working Friday and Saturday during the days at the stomping grounds of my sweet Daddy.  However, he will be in Washington DC facing RG3 - I'm hoping to steal a little time with him on Sunday morning before I jet back Sunday afternoon.  

Friday night I will get to see this guy:

Who along with my best friend and her husband will be volunteering working our big recording!  So grateful for their help.

Dinner with these folks Saturday night:

I also get a coffee date with my friend Jon...(had to go way back for this pic)

So yeah, I get to spend next weekend working my favorite NFL facility, seeing my sweet Daddy, and spending time with some of my favorite people in the WORLD.  Diligently working hard this weekend in prep for that.  6 days and counting til this Florida girl is back in the midwest!

Love,
B

Top Five Reads of the Summer.

So since I've read an insane amount of books (74) already this year I thought I would give you all a list of my 5 favorite books from this summer.  I had gained myself the reputation of being super picky about books but I think that's just because I hit a major slump towards the end of last year, the beginning of this one and I wasn't reading anything I was fired up about.  I've since overcome that slump and read several great books this summer. And so I offer you my Top Five (not in order)...

1. One Breath Away.

In her most emotionally charged novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered.

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

3. and 4. Slammed & Point of Retreat (they are the beginning two books of a series)

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

(the sequel, which was as good as the first book)

5. Start Something the Matters.

In Start Something That Matters, Blake Mycoskie tells the story of TOMS, one of the fastest-growing shoe companies in the world, and combines it with lessons learned from such other innovative organizations as method, charity: water, FEED Projects, and TerraCycle. Blake presents the six simple keys for creating or transforming your own life and business, from discovering your core story to being resourceful without resources; from overcoming fear and doubt to incorporating giving into every aspect of your life. No matter what kind of change you’re considering, Start Something That Matters gives you the stories, ideas, and practical tips that can help you get started.  

Alright now, get to reading!